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Background Birth defects (BD) are considered a leading cause of childhood morbidity and mortality. Personal, cultural, and health care system barriers may increase the incidence of BD in low and middle income countries. In this study we assessed the knowledge of antenatal mothers on BD, associated factors, and prevention and management. Methods Three hundred and fifty (350) antenatal mothers were surveyed using a pretested, self-administered questionnaire. The knowledge on BD was evaluated under 3 categories; knowledge on BD, knowledge on associated factors, and knowledge on prevention and management. The total scores were calculated for each category and converted into percentages. A higher percentage score indicates a high level of knowledge. Descriptive statistics and regression models were used for data analysis. Level of significance was considered as p

Background & Objectives:Prevention of Mother to child Transmission (PMTCT) is a global intervention which aims at preventing mother to child transmission of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). The study aims to find out knowledge of pregnant women on Mother to child Transmission (MTCT) of HIV/AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome).Materials & Methods:A cross-sectional study was carried out at Paropakar Maternity and Women’s Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal among the pregnant women who came to visit Antenatal Clinic. Data was collected using non-probability purposive sampling technique. Face to face interview was done and a structured questionnaire was developed for data collection. Data analysis and interpretation were done in SPSS and MS Excel.Results:The total number of respondents was 80 with a mean age of 27.4 years. 90% (n=72) respondents were found to be literate. 86.3% (n=69) were well aware of the knowledge on PMTCT. Majority of the respondents (40%) mentioned that radio, TV/Media were the main sources of information about HIV/AIDS. Out of 32.5% (26) who had heard about the window period, only 26.9% (n=7) gave the correct answer. 93.8% (n=75) were well known about the routes of transmission of HIV but only 10.1% (n=7) gave the correct answer about it. Further, 54% (n=43) respondents knew about the availability of drugs to reduce MTCT of HIV/AIDS.Conclusion:The level of awareness about PMTCT among antenatal mothers was satisfactory. However, knowledge was inadequate which imparts for the need of health education about MTCT of HIV/AIDS in every health facilities of Nepal.

Maternal and child nutrition has been a critical component of health, sustainable development, and progress in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). While a decrement in maternal mortality is an important indicator, simply surviving pregnancy and childbirth does not imply better maternal health. One of the fundamental obligations of nations under international human rights law is to enable women to endure pregnancy and delivery as an aspect of their enjoyment of reproductive and sexual health and rights and to live a dignified life. The aim of this study was to discover the correlation between the Maternal Observation and Motivation (MOM) program and m-Health support for maternal and newborn health. A comparative study was done among 196 pregnant mothers (study group—94; control group—102 mothers) with not less than 20 weeks of gestation. Maternal outcomes such as Hb and weight gain and newborn results such as birth weight and crown–heel length were obtained at baseline and at 28 and 36 weeks of gestation. Other secondary data collected were abortion, stillbirth, low birth weight, major congenital malformations, twin or triplet pregnancies, physical activity, and maternal well-being. The MOM intervention included initial face-to-face education, three in-person visits, and eight virtual health coaching sessions via WhatsApp. The baseline data on Hb of the mothers show that 31 (32.98%) vs. 27 (28.72%) mothers in the study and control group, respectively, had anemia, which improved to 27.66% and 14.98% among study group mothers at 28 and 36 weeks of gestation (p < 0.001). The weight gain (p < 0.001), level of physical activity (p < 0.001), and maternal well-being (p < 0.01) also had significant differences after the intervention. Even after controlling for potentially confounding variables, the maternal food practices regression model revealed that birth weight was directly correlated with the consumption of milk (p < 0.001), fruits (p < 0.01), and green vegetables (p < 0.05). As per the physical activity and maternal well-being regression model, the birth weight and crown–heel length were strongly related with the physical activity and maternal well-being of mothers at 36 weeks of gestation (p < 0.05). Combining the MOM intervention with standard antenatal care is a safe and effective way to improve maternal welfare while upholding pregnant mothers’ human rights.

Background: Mental health disorders globally are on a rise due to various reasons. Gender differences have been one of the reasons. Pregnancy is a stressful event in mothers and it can either exacerbate preexisting mental illness or can give rise to other mental health disorders. Studies have shown that women residing in rural areas are at higher risk of developing mental health problems. Mental health problems have detrimental effects in post-partum period. Most of the complications can be prevented if psychiatric symptoms are detected in early part of pregnancy and if women are aware of these symptoms. Aim: To find the awareness, attitude and perception towards mental illness in antenatal mothers residing in rural area of India. Setting and Design: It's a descriptive cross sectional study conducted at primary health care centers. Methods and Materials: Total of 300 antenatal mothers attending primary health care centers were recruited into the study after a written informed consent was obtained. Statistical Analysis: Basic socio demographic data were collected and a semi structured questionnaire was designed. The participants were interviewed according to the questionnaire. Data collected was analyzed using SPSS software. Results and Conclusion: The mean age of the study participants was 24+5. Of the 300 study participants more than 90% were unaware that mental illness can occur during pregnancy and only around 07% could agree say that it can occur in pregnancy. There is poor awareness of mental health problems amongst pregnant women residing in rural part of southern India. The reasons for the same are lack of awareness, low levels of education, lower socio economic status, cultural beliefs and practices, lack of mental health services and stigma associated with mental illness. There is no routine screening for mental health problems during antenatal visits. If done otherwise could bring down adverse maternal outcome.

Introduction: Stem cell transplantation (SCT) is a life-saving procedure for a number of malignant and non-malignant life-threatening diseases. Umbilical cord blood (UCB) which was thought to be as waste material earlier, is considered now a valuable thing. It is an important source of hematopoietic stem cells. A stem cell transplant is the infusion of healthy cells to replace diseased or damaged ones. Material and Method: This was a Cross- sectional study conducted on 80 undergraduate medical students & 80 non-medical students and 40 Antenatal mothers. The study tool for data collection in the form of a Structured Questionnaire was designed. Study was conducted for a period of two months. Data was analysed in SPSS version 20, Chi-Square test was used to assess the significance of the responses and a P value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: 45% medicos and 31.25% non medicos were aware of the terminology stem cell while only 10% Antenatal mothers knew about it. Monetary Reason was the major factor which prevented 77.5% mothers from opting for stem cell preservation while12.5% Antenatal mothers never thought of it, 7.5% Antenatal mothers did not opt because of social stigma and 2.5% due to Ethical consideration. Conclusion: Students from streams other than Medicine and antenatal mothers should be educated about the advances being made in Medical Science and a brief introduction about the newer modalities of treatments, to increase people participation and achieving a Holistic Approach towards Health Care.

"Maternal health is Nation's wealth. There is a chance for the welfare of the world only when the condition of the women improves. It is not possible for a bird to fly on only one wing.'' The aim of the present study was to find the level of knowledge regarding warning signs of pregnancy among antenatal mothers. A cross sectional survey design was used. Convenient sampling technique was used to select 50 antenatal mothers from selected community area of Doiwala, Dehradun, Uttarakhand. Data was collected by using structured knowledge questionnaire regarding selected warning signs of pregnancy. Result showed that the overall mean knowledge score was 14±2.46 and mean percentage was 56 . Knowledge score of antenatal mothers ranges from 7 18 maximum 25 . Mothers gained maximum mean score 2.72±0.83 in the area of decrease fetal movement and the lowest mean score 1.14±0.40 in the area of per vaginal discharge. No significant association was found between level of knowledge score with their demographic variables except type of family. Ms. Kanchan Bala | Dr. Balwinder Kaur Buttar | Dr. Ramesh Singh "Warning Signs of Pregnancy among Antenatal Mothers" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-2 | Issue-2 , February 2018, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd9529.pdf

Introduction: Safe maternity with improved neonatal outcomes is predicated on proper antenatal health care services. Regular exercise is promoted for its overall health benefits. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, recommends that pregnant women can exercise moderately for 30 min on most days of the week. Methodology: A total of 200 antenatal mothers were included in the study, who filled in the questionnaire. The questionnaire comprised of 25 questions (21 on knowledge, 3 on attitude and 1 on practice). For knowledge items categorical responses (yes, I don't know and no) were applied with an item score of '2', '1', '0' respectively for positive knowledge. For attitude and practice the answers were either yes, no. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Results: Response rate was 100%. The age range of the study group was 18-35 years with a mean age of 25 ± 4.51 years. The majority of the study population were Hindus (81%), had undergone primary education (63%) and were homemakers (74%). The total mean knowledge score was 20.53 ± 2.08. 51% felt it was necessary to do exercise during pregnancy. 18% were practicing exercise in pregnancy. Conclusion: The knowledge of our women on exercise during pregnancy was less than average, and their attitude was favorable. However a very few were actually practicing exercise in pregnancy.

Introduction: Uterine Prolapse (UP) is the contributor to reproductive health problems that influence the women’s quality of life. It is the most frequent cause of gynaecological morbidities among women in India and major indication for hysterectomy. Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of Structured Teaching Programme (STP) on knowledge regarding preventive measures of UP among mothers and to find out the association between knowledge of mothers regarding preventive measures of UP and selected demographic variables. Materials and Methods: A quantitative research approach with pre-experimental one group pre-test and post-test design was used for the study. The setting of the study was Gynaecology OPD at AIMS, Kochi. By using non-probability convenience sampling technique, 40 antenatal mothers were selected. A semistructured questionnaire was used to assess the demographic data and knowledge regarding preventive measures of the UP in mothers. The STP was provided to the participants after pre-test. The post-test was done on the 14th day after pre-test. The sample characteristics were described using frequency, percentage. Chi–square test was used to find out the association between knowledge of mothers regarding preventive measures of UP and selected demographic variables. Results: The mean pre-test knowledge score was 11.85±4.36 and the mean post-test knowledge score was 19.75±2.98. There was a statistically significant improvement in the level of knowledge regarding preventive measures of UP among the mothers (t-value=16.01, p

Introduction: Breast milk provides nutritional, immunological, behavioral, and economic benefits and helps to build mother-infant bonding. Antenatal mothers need to be sufficiently aware about the benefits of breastfeeding. Objectives: The aim of this study is to assess the awareness and perception of breastfeeding among antenatal mothers and to find out any association between sociodemographic factors and breastfeeding awareness. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 250 antenatal women residing in the urban slums of field-practice area of urban health and training center; using a predesigned, pretested, semi-structured interview schedule. Antenatal checkup followed by one to one counseling for the women regarding breastfeeding was provided. Data were represented by frequencies, proportions, and associations using Chi-square, and the P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Most (55.6%) of the women were in the age group of 18–24 years. The mean age at marriage was 19.2 ± 2.5 years. 81.2% of them were Hindus, 13.2% had adequate, 49.6% had moderately adequate, whereas 37.2% women had inadequate awareness about breastfeeding. About 100% intended to breastfeed their children, but only 64% said that they intended to exclusively breastfeed. 66.4% knew about the importance of colostrum. Age-group, religion, literacy, occupation, type of family, gravida, and number of antenatal visits showed highly significant (P < 0.001) association with awareness of breastfeeding. Conclusion: Nearly one-third of the antenatal mothers lacked awareness on breastfeeding practices. Although all intended to breastfeed, still only 64% knew about exclusive breastfeeding. These gaps need to be addressed by awareness generation activities during antenatal counseling.